BJP’s giant slayer Smriti Irani, who defeated Congress leader Rahul Gandhi from his bastion of Amethi in 2019 elections, is trailing Congress’ Kishori Lal Sharma by a margin of over 62,000 votes.
As per the Election Commission trends at 01:06 pm, Sharma, a Gandhi family loyalist, has polled 2,19,013 votes so far, with BJP Union Minister Irani at a distant second spot with 1,56,655 votes.
As the representative of the Gandhi family in the two Uttar Pradesh bastions of Amethi and Rae Bareli, Kishori Lal is said to know both constituencies like the back of his hand. He also has a better ground connect with party workers and the people.
According to IANS news agency, Kishori Lal Sharma aligns well with the caste dynamics of the region. Amethi is predominantly composed of Dalits (26 per cent), Muslims (20 per cent), and Brahmins (18 per cent). The Congress believed that Sharma could leverage these caste equations to his advantage.
In the 2019 elections, Irani won the Amethi seat by defeating Rahul Gandhi, who had been a long-time MP from this constituency.
Irani’s victory marked a significant shift in this traditional Congress bastion.
In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, despite the nationwide BJP wave, incumbent Rahul Gandhi managed to defeat BJP candidate Irani.
With inputs from agencies
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BJP losing Amethi? Smriti Irani trails Congress’ KL Sharma by over 62,000 votes
